John was 13 years old, the eldest of six siblings, so he felt the big responsibility. Justin smiled, saying: “We talked about coffee and dating. On dating, Angkong actually asked me: ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ I replied: ‘No.’ He then advised me: ‘Alright, play around, play around.’”What were Gokongwei’s pieces of advice to his grandson? I eventually entered the family business in July. My thay-kong (Hokkien for great-grandpa) wasn’t able to prepare well for his succession in the case of my grandfather, who was his eldest son.

Source: Philippine Star November 16, 2019 16:00 UTC